Driving down the Route de Grand Crus

After our amazing meal at "Le Petit Paradis" which I posted pics of, Nessie and I made our way back to the Maison and crashed for ten straight hours. We woke up to a breakfast at the long formal table in the dining room of the Chateau. We were served fresh baguettes, fig and raspberry jams, coffee, yogurt, croissants, and freshly squeezed orange juice.

From our table, we overlooked the Hospice of Beaune - a medieval hospital for the poor. During the end of the Dukes of Burgundy's reign, one of the kings wanted to end his life on a philanthropic note, so he built this place. Unfortunately, it was just for PR, and the truly poor were served in a separate room where rotten limbs were sawed off and their blood streamed into the river below the hospital. While they laid there getting "taken care of" they viewed artwork of hell-bound pagans at Judgement day.

But the funnest part of the day began when we rented a car and headed south on the Route de Grands Crus. French wine is divided into four categories. Appellation Controlee is the cheapest but still a nice table wine in most cases. Next is Village, which is very nice and still affordable for an everyday wine. Then comes the Premiere Cru, which begins to transforms your understanding of taste. And finally come the Grand Crus, which I haven't even touched. The Route de Grand Crus runs north-south and straight through our home base of Beaune. We headed south and stopped first in the very small Romanesque town of Pommard. We parked at the first sign of "Degustation Gratuit" or free wine tasting. We entered a 300+ year old Cheateau and asked in our best French if we could taste any wine. We were told they were all out for the day. So I asked if there were any vintners they would recommend in town. They suggested one down the road and off we went.

As we walked through the courtyard at around 12:30pm, we heard the sound of forks and knives and smelled good food. A man poked his head out from the top floor balcony and asked if we could return in 30 min to an hour. We said "Pas de problem" and we went out to assemble a picnic. We first stopped at the Charcuterie (Butcher) where we explained our plan. The lady said we should run to the Boulangerie (bakery) first because they close in 10 min. So off we went and found a crunchy baguette, a tarte au citron (lemon tart with meringue) and a Tarte au Framboise (raspberry tart.) Then back to the Charcuterie for some Jambon Cru, Comte cheese and some Dijonaise sauce of mustard, mayo and more.

We ate on the steps of a very old church with the sound of birds and the sun shining overhead. About 45 min later, we stopped back at the Chateau where our friend the vintner was cleaning up from lunch. It turns out that his family has been making wine since 1860. He gave us a private tour of his estate, including the moldy cellar where the wine ages. He also showed us a presentation his son made on a poster for a school assignment. It showed the entire wine-making process in about eight steps. The last one was "Le vin c'est pour les adults." Whenever I asked a clarifying question, the host replied, "that's alright." He showed us the tractor used to till the soil and explained the "ploo - is that how you say it?" Vanessa politely said it is pronounced "plow."

Two college aged girls arrived soon after and told us they were about to meet with a professor on their knowledge of white wine. The professor showed up and asked if we were Ukranian visitors. We all had a laugh, then our vintner asked if Vanessa was Swedish and guessed I was Italian. It was a very fun time and resulted in a purchase of a Red Premiere Cru for one-fourth the cost in the States and a white table wine.

I can't describe the feeling of driving on a 70 degree day down a narrow windy road and only vineyards and old villages for as far as the eye can see. The movie Chocolat was filed in a small village in this area. More than once we had to halt for a tractor pulling out in front.

Our next stop was the Cheateau de la Rochepot. This castle was home to several important kings during the Dukes period in Burgundian history. It features the quintessential Tiles from the area and a beautiful inner courtyard. The tour guide was a towering twin of Cruella Devil and her laugh seemed to get louder and scarier as the tour went on. Especially in the weapons room. When she soon realized that Vanessa was shivering from the cold inside the Chateau, she promptly took off her full length fur coat and put in on Vanessa. Had I been able to take pictures inside, I would have sat her at the queens thrown and put a wine carafe in her hand.

We later passed by the barrel makers and stopped for one more tasting with just a little old lady who seemed grumpy enough, but happy when I bought her favorite red wine.

We eventually made our way back to Beaune, but only grudgingly because we felt like we were leaving a secret world of enchanting people, churches and of course, wines.

Beaune!

We have just arrived in Paris after the most incredible time in the tiny town of Beaune. It is the wine capital of the Burgundy region of France, which is Southeast of Paris towards the Swiss Alps. We spent two nights at a Chateau where the owner is also a vintner (wine maker.) We spent the first day touring the medieval hospital for the poor and stumbled on the absolutely best meal in our entire lives. The owner of the Chateau suggested we cancel our Michelin * lunch at Jardin de Remparts and instead have dinner at L'Petite Paradis. It was down a tiny cobble stone street right across from the hospital in the downtown area of Beaune. I will post some pics of the meal, but I can't tell you enough how amazing it was. I can honestly say I was on the verge of tears and Nessie wasn't far behind.

Monaco and Villefranche

We're in Villefranche Sur Mer right now and found an internet cafe with an American keyboard, so I thought I'd take advantage and post real quick. We are going to have a picnic with a few things we bought yesterday at the Market in Antibes. We have two fresh baguettes, a goat cheese, a spicy garlic pate and a bottle of Rose. We are going to look for some fresh Ham and of course a nice pastry to finish. We visited Monaco this morning and played tourist while taking pics of the Casino at Monte Carlo. It's the richest country per capita in the World. It was fun to see, but I probably wouldn't want to see it a second time.

We arrived in Nice on Thursday afternoon. Our friend Jeni picked us up at the airport and brought us to her apartment, where we will be staying until tomorrow. She had decorated it very nicely and it has a patio with an art studio that overlooks the apartment's inner courtyard. Our first night was spent with the french doors wide open and a gentle Mediterranean breeze blowing in. I woke up at 4:30am and spent the next 3 hours listening to the city slowly wake up. We spent the next day in Antibes where we experienced our first open air market. I was completely blown away by the awesome olives, cheeses, fruits, pastries and such. We then had crepes at an outdoor cafe and it warmed up to 70+ degrees.

Had a wonderful meal last night in Old Nice. We went with our friends Jeni and Alex. Our meal began before 10pm and didn't end until after midnight. I let Nessie taste my "steak" which was actually Veal. Oops! I also had an amazing Soupe au Possion (Fish Soup) and it came with a very spicy garlic dipping sauce, a clove of garlic and some crusty bread to dip in the soup. Tres Riche! Ness had Soupe au Pistou (Vegetable soup with Pesto) and Raviolis au Pistou aussi. We finished with Mouse au Chocolate and a cafe. The restaurant is in a very Italian section of Old Nice and had a nice mix of Cuisine Nicoise and Italienne.

Nice is Nice

We arrived in Nice around noon yesterday and have been having a blast since. We had lunch right away with our friend Jeni at her apartment.

The video is of Jeni, her roomate and 2 friends who came to her apartment to meet us. I havent added captios yet to the pics, but they are from Jenis apartment, and the old part of Nice and finqlly in the town of Antibes which we visited today. Click here to see our photos: http://picasaweb.google.fr/Nicholas.Rebo/France?feat=directlink

There are already fun stories but I dont have time to write them yet. I hope to soon.

Where I've Lived

So after visiting my parents tonight, and talking in general about travel, I started to feel really sentimental and think about the different homes I've lived in.  I posted a few pics of these places.

The first is a map shot of where I lived for nine months as a baby.  The little town of Tenakee Springs, population 105.  Somewhere, I have a pic of my actual home, but I'll have to dig it out and scan it.  A Philipino lady named Rosie still plays favorites at her diner, which is the only one in town.  There is also a hot spring (hence the name) which serves as the gossip center for it's citizens.  

The second was my childhood home on Rucker Hill in Everett, WA.  Built in 1915; it recently won the city's Monte Cristo Award for historic preservation.  From our deck, my dad and I would watch the U.S.S. Nimitz return to the Navy Base in Port Gardener (below) after its various duties during Desert Storm.  Apparently, the famous Gypsy Rose Hill danced on the hard wood floors in the basement.  

The third is where I lived for nine months in Seville, Spain.  It is in the very old historic core of the city, and my guess is it was built in the 17th or 18th century.  I am emailing my roommate to see if he remembers.  My home was on the right and it is actually two homes combined.  It was truly mansion-like with a separate wing for my roommate and I.  It had three beautiful courtyards inside.  

Change in Itinerary

Thanks to my dear friends on the Rick Steves Travelers Helpline, Vanessa and I decided to omit Prague from our itinerary in order to focus more on everything that France has to offer.  

If there's one thing I've learned about planning trips, it's the importance of discipline.  There always seems to be an urge to see everything possible, but in the end it's the quality of your experience, not how many cities you see.  

So here's our itinerary in a nutshell:

03/26 - Arrive in Nice 12:35pm, tour Chagall Museum, eat dinner in Old Nice (sleep in Nice 3 nights)

03/27 - Day trip to Antibes, Picasso Museum

03/28 - Day trip to Monaco, Eze by Car or Villefranche by train

03/29 - Morning in Nice, afternoon train to Arles

03/30 - Day in Arles, visit Roman Amphitheater, Ancient History Museum

03/31 - Morning train to Beaune, tour Hospital, wine tasting (sleep in Cote de Nuits 2 nights)

04/01 - Tour vineyards of nuits-st-george, eat at Levernois Hotel (michelin *)

04/02 - Morning train to Paris, historic Paris walk, Ile de la Cite, Notre-Dame, Latin Qtr, St-Chapelle, afternoon: Opera Garnier, late in night: Seine river. (sleep in Paris 6 nights)

04/03 - Morning: tour the Louvre, afternoon: Champs-Elysees walk, Tuileries Garden, evening: floodlit Notre-Dame

04/04 - Morning: tour Orsay Museum, Jacquemart-Andre Museum. Afternoon: Rue Cler Markets, evening: Sacre-Coure, Montemarte

04/05 - Day trip to Versailles, morning: tour interior, Hall of Mirrors, afternoon: tour Gardens, Fountain Show

04/06 - Day trip to Reims: morning tour of cathedral. afternoon touring Champagne caves.  Dinner back in Paris

04/07 - Morning: Marais walk, Carnavalet museum, Pompidou Center. Late: Tracadero Scene by Eiffel Tower

04/08 - Morning flight to Seattle

The Paris itinerary is set to change quite a bit.  This is simply a guide which could change at any minute.

Categories within French Cuisine

So, as the greatest focus of our trip will be the food, I thought I'd explain what I see as the three main categories of modern french food.

Haute Cuisine.  This is the classic french fare of hearty portions, rich sauces, and classic recipes like Foie Gras, Bresse Chicken with Truffles, and Escargots stuffed with garlic butter.  Auguste Escoffier is known for bringing this style to the French mainstream around the turn of the century.  He published a book called Le Guide Culinaire, which formalized many preparation techniques.  He used the highly sophisticated Cuisine of the 17th century as a starting point, and succeeded at making these recipes more accessible to a more modern yet still highly discerning France.  The 4th edition of this book was updated around the time of his death and has been translated into English.  It's supposed to be a great encyclopedia to both beginners and experts.  I am going to pick it up and try out some recipes soon.

Nouvelle Cuisine.  This is a somewhat controversial movement that came about in the 1970s, and it represented a stark contrast to the haute cuisine because of its smaller portions, fewer calories, and quicker preparation.  The Troisgros brothers may have been the first to move this direction, but it was their apprentices - Paul Bocuse, Bernard Louiseau, Henry Gault, Guy Savoy, etc - who ran with it.  The food was "of the moment" and this is appropriate because many feel it's losing relevance in the 21st century.  Recipes include small, artistically arranged dishes that are void of heavy sauces, which were such a staple of Escoffier's style.  

Cuisine de Terroir.  Here we find that very French attribute of regional pride.  One of the great aspects of french food is its variety.  There are so many different regional styles of french cooking and cuisine de terroir reflects the uniqueness of each.  Whether it's Salade Nicoise in Nice, or Beef Bourguignon in Burgundy, the names often reflect the city or region which they're from.  Often you find this in smaller towns, which rely on the availability of local produce, dairy and meat to determine their recipes.  But it has become increasingly popular in the big cities like Paris and Lyon as well.  May also be referred to as regional or bistro fare.  Examples would be Steak-Frites, Patés, or Croque Monsieur - a grilled cheese sandwich made with Brioche, Gruyere and Dijon Mustard.  This is also served with French fries.

This is not a detailed description of the ever diverse French Cuisine, but it hopefully serves as a starting point.  A couple of great authentic French restaurants in the Northwest are Le Pichet in downtown Seattle, Café Presse in Capitol Hill, and Carafe in Portland.  Bon Appetit!

Great reading on the subject:  The Perfectionist: Life and Death in Haute Cuisine, A Meal Observed.